She uses her fists to battle back from paralysis

July 18, 2006

Sarah (Schools) Clay throws a right hook and follows with a left cross. Then a flurry of punches. Bam, bam, bam. And people thought she was fast on a basketball court. Sarah, 24, may not be a Million Dollar Baby with her new sport of boxing, but she feels like a million bucks after some of her workouts. "I've done a lot of boxing to help with my trunk control and to strengthen my arms," says the former Mishawaka High School scholar-athlete who was paralyzed from the waist down after an all-terrain vehicle accident in 2001. Boxing has been part of her physical therapy at the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan in Detroit. That has followed her experimental stem-cell surgery in Portugal two months ago. Her recovery also seems to be packing quite a wallop. "I've regained control of my hip flexors and hip extensors on both sides and my hip abductors on my right," she says. "So I have regained three different muscle areas in a month. "That is encouraging to me." She might have a chance of using braces at some point by developing enough new muscle movement to swing her legs. "I'm just going to have to be patient," Sarah says. "I'm like everyone. I want to see more results immediately. But I'm going to have to give it some time." And work very hard. That includes her boxing, which she does while sitting on an uneven surface -- usually an exercise ball. She throws her punches while a therapist often uses workout gloves as a target. Bam, bam, bam. "Jeremy (her husband) better not give me a hard time after all this boxing," Sarah says with a smile. This weekend, she returned to their home in Indianapolis, where she plans do some part-time work at Walgreens and get ready for her third year in Butler University's School of Pharmacy. She will also continue with her therapy. While in Detroit, Sarah also worked on a Motomed bike that propels her legs through the pedaling. "But then they turn off the motor to see what you can do," she adds. "And I was actually able to pedal some on my own." Good news. "I've had to reshape my whole attitude about my situation," she admits. "After my accident, I had accepted the fact that there was nothing I could do" about being paralyzed. "Now, I am using visualization and determination to retrain my brain and reform my expectations to therapy." That's quite a one-two punch, too. In Portugal, doctors took stem cells from the roof of her nasal cavity and inserted them into her back to replenish lost nerve fibers. Fewer than 100 people with paralysis have undergone this surgery that has not yet been approved in the United States. Almost all of the patients have regained some movement. Although Sarah has had wonderful support from the Michiana area, she is still paying the bills. (Those who would like to contribute can still do so online at www.dermed.org//sarahclay.) She still is seeing improvement that even surprises her. During one weekend, Jeremy took time away from his three jobs in Indianapolis to give Sarah a break at Cedar Point Amusement Park. "I'm an adrenaline junkie," she says. "I got to ride the Millennium Force (roller coaster) and that was really neat." It plunged 300 feet. Her life, meanwhile, remains a steady climb as she battles back -- with both her fists and fortitude. Bill Moor's column appears on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Contact him at bmoor@sbtinfo.com, or write him at the South Bend Tribune, 225 W. Colfax Ave., South Bend, IN 46626; (574) 235-6072.Bill Moor Commentary